I was going to get $25 gift card for stopping by a local Toyota dealership this last Saturday so I went out Friday to climb thru cars. I was focusing on what was on the lot for 2019 Rav4.
In the hybrid Adventure model I found the same issue that I have seen in other hybrids, a power lift gate with no indication that it was adjustable height. Might be but not stated. However, I found a 2019 XLE hybrid on the lot that specifically stated it was a height adjustable rear lift gate. Thought it was interesting, it isn’t terribly healthy for a power lift gate to often be frustrated in whether it can rise to its full height.
I looked more closely at the rails. In the Adventure model they have a set of heavy duty rails that were likely designed by looking at the Subaru Foresters. For someone like me who attaches third party cross bars to the factory rails, the spread I could get between was a few inches shorter than I have set on my current vehicle with the other style rails. I have that set a little closer than some might to make sure my shoulders are OK for to handle the Hullivator cradles.
The hybrid XLE had the cover with popouts to directly access the mounts for rails, for which I am sure Thule etc make towers. Those are at the same distance and the typical triangular rails w/o a center support. So in this model the spread could be much wider.
In terms of the rest of it, I was of mixed mind about the 2019 redesign compared to my 2018. Some details that are better and some that did not ring my bells. They have added a safety feature that displays upcoming road signs on the nav/radio etc screen, which is bigger and higher up than on my car. I guess - not sure if this is redundant or it would be helpful if someone was trying to drive with a car full of kids. Salesman told me another safety feature was being added for 2020, wasn’t sure what it was. Did not know if it was rear automatic braking. (Note, I just looked at what Subaru calls this on their 2019 models and used that name.).
?? Rear avoidance- something exists on a couple of 2019 Subarus. I just changed the name I used above and called it what Subaru does. Seems like semantics to me, regardless of the name it stops you from backing into something. Uses same camera/laser technology as forward collision avoidance.
@Celia said:
?? Rear avoidance- something exists on a couple of 2019 Subarus. I just changed the name I used above and called it what Subaru does. Seems like semantics to me, regardless of the name it stops you from backing into something. Uses same camera/laser technology as forward collision avoidance.
Gets real nervous when I hook on a trailer. But it has a shut off when you plug in the lights. In Subaru it is a parking assist. Slams on the brakes when I back up into the bushes.
@Overstreet That makes sense as a relationship, to shut off when the trailer lights are on.
I readily admit that all of these features increase my willingness to pay for a fancy warranty given they increase the computer personality of the vehicle. But they also do some pretty neat stuff.
@Celia said:
I readily admit that all of these features increase my willingness to pay for a fancy warranty given they increase the computer personality of the vehicle. But they also do some pretty neat stuff.
Warrantees often exclude the things that break. Be careful.
I find myself giving the new vehicles time to warm up…or rather boot up. Some of the controls don’t work until they get activated. Specifically radio, media controls, on the steering wheel. There’s also a whole nest of switches to turn collision avoidance things off. And lights with strange symbols and acronims to tell you status. Some of the "automatic " heat/air systems don’t turn the fan on till water is hot. The “eyesight system” on the Subaru is great…………………until it is raining, snowing, foggy or you are driving into the bright sun then the eyesight, like your eyesight is blinded and it stops working. Gives you a chime and warning light of course.
@Overstreet
My experience with the fancy warranty on the Subaru was that it was the ONLY level that covered the electronics, a fair amount of which had to be replaced over time. And nothing in that group costs less than 800 bucks a pop. My experience with the world’s most useless warranty was on one of the Ford/Mercury wagons, before I realized they had written it to exclude many of the actual components that were in the car. Haven’t made that mistake since.
The Toyota collision avoidance works in bright sun. In fact that was the first time I ever had it kick in - on a sun glare situation on a highway when it spotted the car in front of me stopping before I saw it. With the sun glare the other car’s brake lights weren’t visible to me. I was in the middle of cursing the car about what the hell it was doing when I saw that it was right. Pretty sure I described this before in a thread some of you were in.
I can’t say why your Subaru doesn’t see this, but have to wonder if it is a gap in the first couple of years that they have since fixed. I believe Toyota uses two types of indicators to assess the situation rather than one. But it has been a while since I pulled out those details and all the manufacturers are making yearly changes in this area.
The options to turn off or modify most of the safety features in the Toyotas tend to reside under a single toggle on the steering wheel, not a nest of switches. Then you use an up or down to move thru the dash board screen within a category. Not a cluster of things to push there. Blue tooth has to find itself and once in a long while grab some kind of update, but this seems smoother in the 2018 than it was in the 2014.
I probably should test drive a Subaru sometime to see these diffs, but it is a low priority. As much as I loved my Subarus I am one who also experienced the history of failed head gaskets every time I tried to take them to higher mileage. Just not willing to go thru that again.
Funny how our experiences color our outlook. We have had two Foresters so far… One to over 200,000 miles and the other t0 150,000 with no head gasket problems… However we hate Fords. from listening to our Ford owning parents way back in the 1950’s
@kayamedic said:
Funny how our experiences color our outlook. We have had two Foresters so far… One to over 200,000 miles and the other t0 150,000 with no head gasket problems… However we hate Fords. from listening to our Ford owning parents way back in the 1950’s
And we have had two Toyota trucks that ran well but the frame and electronic systems just collapsed. We are not too upset about that as one was over 200.000 miles and the other 300,000 miles.
Yeah, my reluctance about the Subarus is based on my experience owning them. I still really like the cars.
I had a Toyota Tercel years ago that I took lousy care of and still would not die. My return to a certified Toyota in 2016 was largely about finding a dealership I liked but I did recall that Tercel.
Neither my husband or I had any pre-conceived Ford issues except for the obvious one (WWII). But that’s not about how the cars ran. We went to them because they had real station wagons and a pretty decent local dealership. We had excellent luck with the Ford Mercury wagons, hung with them as long as we could because they hauled a ton. Not 200,000 mile cars, but inexpensive enough that they were not a lot of money to run compared to other within that range. They were 130,000 mile cars and you just had to realize that.
Not sure how long my Subie lasted as the odometer/speedo quit about 100k and was the least of the problems. I just calibrated the tach with a GPS and that worked fine. Told the girl that bought it just keep it at 2k RPMs and she wouldn’t get a ticket in the Keys. Just about everything else was replaced so she got a pretty good car… She lived in Marathon so I’m pretty sure the Subie was destroyed by “Irma” if she didn’t get it out of here. I always hoped to see it on the road… It was a good kayak carrier though but I wen’t back to old Jeeps.
It was a pretty Subie…
I used to own an 09 Subaru Outback. Loved everything about it except the seat. On longer trips I emerged out of the car in pain. I had to sell it.
When I got into paddling this year I looked at a lot of vehicles that would work as an “island car”: comfortable for road trips, cargo space for dogs and Costco missions and a roof suitable for kayaks. In the end I found my perfect car: super clean 2007 Volvo XC70 wagon. Could not be happier. The most comfortable car I have ever owned. This sample had brand new tires, a perfect service record and just 66,000 miles…
If they still made a version of the 1992 Volvo 740 (but with front wheel drive) I would buy one in a heartbeat. Best car I ever owned and that model year consistently had the highest owner-reported mileage life amongst the generally long-lived Swedish bricks. I drove mine from 80,000 to 215,000 of its lifetime miles with NO repair costs other than basic maintenance (brake pads and tires). Best car I have ever had for carrying long boats – long, low flat roof with gutters for the Thule rack. Also incredibly comfortable both in ergonomics and climate control.
The AC components eventually failed and I had half of them replaced when I became infatuated with a super clean Volvo 850 turbo and stupidly sold the 740 to a Volvo enthusiast who was thrilled to pay me $2500 for a 27 year old car. Regret that sale to this day. The plush jet black 850 eventually earned the name “Darth” and stranded me at one point when an axle broke and took the transmission with it. Sold it after those repairs and several others and bought a 5-speed Hyundai Santa Fe.
The newer Volvos are too costly, too small and too swoopy for my taste. I had such a bad experience with the low miles 2002 Outback that I owned after the Santa Fe that it soured my wistfulness for the '78 Subie DL wagon that I loved to death in my 30’s. The Subaru DL is up there with the '92 Volvo and my '89 manual transmission Dodge Caravan as the 3 top cars I have ever owned for comfort, reliability and utility.
I suppose I have become a curmudgeon because it bugs me that ALL cars look the same now (wind tunnel blobs with lousy sightlines for the driver, too-short rooflines for carrying boats and lousy cargo space) and they are nearly all over-accessorized and absurdly reliant on costly computer modules. I know how to drive/park/stop and I choose to control the vehicle MYSELF. It’s even becoming difficult to find a manual transmission, which is the reason I bought a new stick vehicle 4 years ago – I think Mazda is eliminating the 6-speed CX5 like I have. May already have done so here in the USA.
If there was even the remotest chance that they would be imported AND that there would be dealerships for parts and repairs, I would love one of the Citroen Cactus C4 wagons like I rented in England two years ago. Even with the cognitive challenge of driving a stick with the shifter on my left, I really enjoyed driving it. And the back, with the seat folded down, was dead flat and I could crawl in there and take an afternoon nap during my daily road trips around the Yorkshire moors and North Atlantic coast.
@PhotoMax said:
I used to own an 09 Subaru Outback. Loved everything about it except the seat. On longer trips I emerged out of the car in pain. I had to sell it.
When I got into paddling this year I looked at a lot of vehicles that would work as an “island car”: comfortable for road trips, cargo space for dogs and Costco missions and a roof suitable for kayaks. In the end I found my perfect car: super clean 2007 Volvo XC70 wagon. Could not be happier. The most comfortable car I have ever owned. This sample had brand new tires, a perfect service record and just 66,000 miles…
I leased a 2006 XC70 for a year. What a great car, all the comfort of a Buick but with cool European design. I remember one gas station attendant saying “those are nice, kind of like your own personal Lear jet”. Exactly!
The other day I was driving onto the ferry and overhead two guys saying “those Volvo wagons are cool”. Made me smile. The “crossover” SUV has mostly killed the wagon market. I have driven a bunch of modern SUVs, but I much prefer the XC70 for its comfort, corner visibility, drive, and storage capability. Perfect kayak car in my book. What this model lacked was the tech stuff. I replaced the entire factory radio system with a new Panasonic deck that gives me Apple Car Play, navigation, Bluetooth and a backup camera…
@PhotoMax said:
The other day I was driving onto the ferry and overhead two guys saying “those Volvo wagons are cool”. Made me smile. The “crossover” SUV has mostly killed the wagon market. I have driven a bunch of modern SUVs, but I much prefer the XC70 for its comfort, corner visibility, drive, and storage capability. Perfect kayak car in my book. What this model lacked was the tech stuff. I replaced the entire factory radio system with a new Panasonic deck that gives me Apple Car Play, navigation, Bluetooth and a backup camera…
I also leased a 2004 V70 T5 for a year when I worked for Ford. I also just love the beautiful, recognizable and unique design (although the cars do lose composure if you push them…which nobody does). I remember my wife saying I HATE DRIVING YOUR VOLVO! I remember saying that “hate” is a strong word. She said “I like sitting up high” (in her new Explorer at the time) and “it’s hard to park” (and indeed the frame rails that protect you from side impacts also force the turning radius to be a little wider than average). Kind of made me wonder how I managed to work myself into a situation where I spent $1000/month leasing 2 new vehicles and I still got hammered with complaints.
Surprised to hear that – the older RWD Volvos I had experience with had tight turning radii. I drove a 4 speed '73 Volvo 164e for a while and it spun like a shopping cart. Super comfortable great highway car and I was pissed when the boyfriend who owned it (and let me drive it) sold it to one of his buddies for $1800.
